


Where Boys Fear to Tread/Tango in the Night

by AngelNo13Bardiel



Series: One Thing Leads to Another [1]
Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Anal Fingering, Awkward Sexual Situations, Cunnilingus, F/M, Heart-to-Heart, Humor, Pillow Talk, Romance, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Tension, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-02 22:18:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17272178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelNo13Bardiel/pseuds/AngelNo13Bardiel
Summary: Asuka "convinces" Shinji to go clothes shopping with her. Okay, so it's really more like she drags him into it. But it won't be as boring as he thinks. No less embarrassing, though. And if you think it'll end there, well...you'd be just plain wrong. -Story completed/C&C appreciated/Please leave a review if you liked-





	Where Boys Fear to Tread/Tango in the Night

**Author's Note:**

> **DISCLAIMER:** I still don't own Evangelion or any of its characters, that's all still the property of…whoever owns it these days. Probably never will either, but I'm okay with that (too much legal hassle to potentially deal with). Original series canon applies here, nothing Rebuild-centric. This story takes place…err…you know, I have _no_ clue about where to put this. It doesn't really take place anywhere in _any_ canon (either original NGE or any of mine), I know that much. You know what, screw it, make it up yourselves this time. Also, it's worth noting that the Asuka and Shinji presented here have already begun a relationship (an intimate one, as well), so just put that in mind before beginning. Anyway…"this" is speech and 'this' is thoughts. And lastly, this is a **lemon** : you all very well know what that means by this point, those under 18 should avert thine eyes. _Avert them, I say!_ I think that covers everything, let's get right into it!
> 
> **DISCLAIMER PT.2** : If you already read these at FFN, there's nothing new here. No new scenes, no new sexy time...just both stories combined.

_**-Where Boys Fear to Tread/Tango in the Night-** _

Shinji Ikari looked up at the sign above him, second-guessing and questioning every decision he'd made so far today. "This is the _fourth_ store you've stopped at in the last three hours," he whined, shifting the weight of the bags he was holding from one hand to the other.

"And to think, people say that _girls_ are always complaining," Asuka Langley Sohryu spoke up from alongside Shinji, moving past him and into the shop's entrance. "You _still_ haven't learned to appreciate your luck in life, Third," she went on, turning back toward the boy. "A nice, long stretch without an Angel," she continued, counting off on her fingers, "nothing to do at home _or_ at NERV…and out in public with _me_ , your beautiful and perfect specimen of a girlfriend, on a day that _isn't_ ungodly humid." She turned away from him and kept walking inside. "I'm starting to think you might actually _like_ misery, baka."

Shinji sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Asuka was right, of course: there was little to do around the apartment that day and no tests scheduled either, so a trip downtown _had_ sounded good to him…right until she had mentioned looking for new clothes. This wasn't anything new to the Third Child, however: he and the redhead had done this a couple of times before. 'That doesn't mean it's going to take any less time,' he thought, following after the girl, 'or be any less boring than other times.' He had learned early on that the Second Child could be quite picky about her attire. She always seemed to be in need of more fashion choices, whereas he was more than pleased with the simple wardrobe he currently owned.

Asuka moved from one rack to another, picking up a few new pieces to try on and maybe even buy. She didn't intent to get them _all_ , just enough to fill in a few gaps in her closet. And it wasn't just the acquisition of new attire: she also enjoyed teasing Shinji by trying on outfits and parading around in front of him to gauge his reactions to her choices. 'Hasn't let me down yet,' she mused, looking across the store at him as he browsed through a selection of black slacks. 'It's all too easy to make you _squirm_ , baka Shinji.' It was something of a past-time for the redhead, a little game to her. It certainly fueled other, more… _interesting_ things that would happen at home. 'Wind him up enough, he'll lose control and go for it without even asking. _Heh_ …boys.'

Shinji, meanwhile, had no clue what was on Asuka's mind…but was thinking just as salacious thoughts as she was, once more trailing his eyes up and down her figure. She had chosen a loose white blouse and black skirt, with a long pair of black stockings trailing up to her thighs. He shook his head, trying to clear away the accompanying images that were starting to form. 'She's _always_ doing this to me,' he thought, turning away to look at something else, 'especially in public. I know she likes to tease, but really…does it _have_ to be so often?' He then remembered what her teasing often lead to, a slight blush coming over him. 'I guess there _are_ perks to it, really.' Today, though, it felt more insistent than normal: usually, they'd be back within an hour or two, enough time to either take a cold shower or take it to one of their rooms…whichever he could manage. But they'd been gone for nearly twice that, and he could feel his urges begin to nag him constantly today. 'I really hate being a teenager sometimes.'

Asuka had already noticed Shinji's distracted stare at least a few times today so far, and the one he had just given her had made a smile appear on her face. 'Something on your mind, hmm?' She looked back at the three new outfits (and a few other things) now in hand, an idea forming as her smile turned into a wicked smirk. 'Oh Asuka…you're _sooooo_ bad.'

Tearing herself away from the lure of cotton and silk, Asuka moved with purpose across the store to where Shinji stood, his line-of-sight no longer on her. "Okay baka, you know the drill," she spoke up, making him jump a little. " _Now_ it's time for your opinions." She grabbed his left arm and pulled him over to where the changing rooms were, lightly pushing him onto one of the benches nearby. "I'll be right out in a few, let me know what you think of _these_ ," she said in a quiet but heavy whisper, disappearing into the booth with her small stack of clothing choices.

Shinji gulped and tried to slow his heartbeat. Asuka using _that voice_ on him never failed to get his blood pumping harder. 'And she just _knows it_ ,' he mused, cursing himself for not being any more used to it now than when they'd first met. His eyes moved down to the slight opening at the bottom of the curtain, watching the black skirt she'd been wearing fall down to the floor. He swallowed again, readjusting himself as not to show his growing arousal. He hoped it wouldn't get any worse or he'd have to start crossing his legs in some rather uncomfortable ways.

Asuka stepped out of the booth wearing a rather modest combo of faded blue jeans and a deep grey t-shirt…but Shinji thought it still looked absolutely great on her. "V-very nice…" he breathed out, clamping a hand over his mouth when he realized that he _hadn't_ only thought the words.

Asuka didn't say anything at first, only making a few poses in front of Shinji before heading back into the room. She turned back before stepping inside, looking over her shoulder at him. "Oh, trust me," she said in a low tone, "this is _just_ the start." And with those words, she pulled the curtain closed with a flourish.

Shinji sat quietly for several moments, wondering exactly what she had meant by those words. For some reason, they filled him with both fear _and_ excitement.

Asuka pulled the curtain away again after another few moments, revealing herself in a pair of red leather pants and a pair of stiletto heels. "Not _exactly_ my style, but…what do _you_ think, baka?" she asked, twirling around a few times before leaning over to give the material of the pants the tightest stretch they could over her posterior.

Shinji couldn't answer immediately, hoping he wasn't _actually_ drooling at the sight before him. "I…um…err…ah…it-it's…" he mumbled for several seconds before finding his voice again. "I-it's…r-really s-sexy, Asuka."

Asuka winked and gave a small smile. "Of course it is. It's _me_ , remember?" She walked into the booth again, closing the divider behind her.

Shinji took several seconds to sit and breath quietly, trying to shake the mental image of Asuka in tight leather pants he'd undoubtedly have in mind for quite a while after that. 'Not her style, she says,' he thought to himself. 'I wouldn't-'

The Third Child's thought came to a screeching halt as Asuka once more came out of the booth, this time in a tight sleeveless red dress that hugged and accented _every_ curve. "I think this one might be a little _too_ snug," she thought aloud, turning around and looking around at the fit of the dress. "If it were any tighter, I'd have to be _poured_ into the damned thing." She looked back at Shinji with a smile that could almost be called 'devilish'. "You like, _ja_?" Shinji nodded in an exaggerated manner almost immediately, not making a sound except for his quickening breathing. "Good boy." The redhead disappeared behind the curtain again, giving an extra wiggle of her hips on the way inside.

Noticing just what kind of effect the previous outfit had on him, Shinji picked up one of the bags he had been carrying around from earlier and placed in his lap to cover the now-all-too-obvious tenting in his pants. 'Not the best time,' he berated himself, 'could have at least waited until I could stand again.' He watched as the sexy red dress fell to the floor, Asuka's petite feet stepping out of it immediately after. 'I hope she's almost done, I can't take much more of th-'

"Shinji?" Asuka's voice came to his ears, jarring him out of his stupor. "Could you come in here for a minute?" Shinji sat for several long seconds, wondering if he was sure of what he'd heard. "I meant _now_ , idiot," the redhead's voice came out from behind the curtain, sounding a little annoyed with him.

Shinji thought it over for another couple of seconds, finally realizing that it wasn't going to be anything he _hadn't_ already seen anyway. 'Probably needs help getting into an even _tighter_ dress,' he thought, already nervous at the idea of a piece of clothing more form-fitting than the last. He slowly moved the shopping bag from his lap and walked over to the divider…right before a small arm grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him inside. His previous thought was rendered null as he saw that she was dressed in the same underwear she had put on that morning.

"About time," Asuka said with a huff, poking her head out to check if anyone had seen her pull Shinji into the booth with her. Satisfied that no one had witnessed it, she pulled the curtain closed and turned back toward him. "Don't just stand there, take a seat," she ordered, pointing over to the small bench in the room. He nodded, taking the offered seat and looking back up at the redhead with a perplexed expression. "Before you ask," she started, "I also need your opinion on a few…other garments."

Shinji was just opening his mouth as Asuka reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor. She quickly hooked her thumbs into the sides of her panties, pulling them down one swift motion before stepping out of them. Noticing his wide-eyed and shocked stare, she rolled her eyes. "Oh please, this should be nothing new by now." She reached over to the small pile of discarded clothes she's been trying on and retrieved a set of lacy black lingerie. She took her time pulling on the panties and clasping and adjusting the bra before turning her attention to the Third Child again. "Well?" she asked, moving about as much as she could within the confined space to give him a better view of every angle. "How about these?"

Shinji, meanwhile, was currently losing the war in regards to where the blood flow in his body was being directed. Most of it had left his brain and headed further south to the ever-growing erection in his pants. So all that was left were the most basic and primal thoughts, most of them based around the young woman before him and the body she possessed. "Uh…I…eh…ah…" he slurred out, unable to form anything more coherent.

"… _ooo-kaaay_ ," Asuka said, enunciating heavily and stretching out the word. She turned back to her other choices of lingerie and undergarments. 'Guess I should stop now before I fry his poor little brain,' she thought with a sigh, slipping out of the black lingerie and back into her own bra and panties. "Alright baka, I think that's enough for now…"

Shinji, on the other hand, was much less calm at the moment. The battle for control of his body had been lost to his baser instincts and was currently prodding him into at least relieving _some_ of the pressure that had built up over the afternoon. He quietly stood from the bench as Asuka was putting her skirt back on. She turned back just in time to catch sight of him as he quickly pinned her against one of the booth's walls. She let out a surprised squeak wish was quickly silenced as the normally-submissive Third Child pressed himself into her and practically shoved his tongue down her throat.

Asuka resisted for only just a few seconds before letting herself go for the moment, greatly enjoying the fact that she'd made Shinji take the lead for once. 'Good, I didn't want it to _always_ be me,' she managed to think through the cloud of lust that had already begun to fog her mind. She pressed her hips into his, grinding against him with a fair amount of pressure. Both teens groaned at the sensation, but never stopped their frantic make-out session.

Shinji pulled back from Asuka's mouth long enough to take a breath before moving his lips down her slender neck and further to the area just above her breasts. He pulled the left cup down, revealing a soft pink nipple. He leaned his head closer and dragged his tongue almost excruciatingly slow over the tender region. The redhead grunted in pleasure, gripping his hair firmly as he moved more and more down her body, leaving a trail of saliva from her areola to her thigh. All the way down on his knees, he lifted up her skirt and moved the now-wet fabric of her panties out of the way before sticking his tongue deep into her pussy.

Asuka threw her head back in ecstasy as Shinji began greedily lapping at her vagina. She did her best to keep her voice down, hoping that no one outside could hear the noises coming from her changing room…but there was only so much she could do with his face all but buried in her hot pocket. So she simply placed her left index finger in her mouth and bit down to try and hold back some of the pleasure she was experiencing…" _try_ " being the key word, of course.

Shinji took a firm hold of Asuka's bottom as he slurped and licked away at her, growing even more aroused by the minute. Feeling her movements begin to lose their rhythm and become more chaotic after nearly three more minutes, he slowed his mouth's actions little by little before giving her labia a small kiss and lifting himself up from the changing room floor. Barely giving her a chance to catch her breath, he resumed their previous making-out, the redhead vaguely aware that she could now taste herself. She found it just as good as anything else that had happened in the last several minutes.

The two teens pulled away from each other after another few moments, both needing to catch their breath more fully. "A-Asuka…" Shinji breathed out, finally able to talk again. "C-can we…d-do it h-here?"

Asuka snapped out of her fog of pleasure for just a moment as she realized just what he had just said. "W-what?" she whispered in a harsh tone, only just able to speak. "Are you…c-crazy? _Now_?"

"I c-can't…can't w-wait any…anymore…" Shinji said in between breaths, his voice pained from the tightness he felt in his pants.

Asuka was just about to protest when she realized just how wound up she had gotten him today. 'Went too far again, Asuka,' she thought to herself with a sigh. 'I guess…it can't be helped,' she finally decided. Moving her hand down to her swollen lower lips, she pulled her panties aside just a little. "Just…just make it fast," she insisted, "and you had _better_ make me feel great. Honestly, a _changing room_ , of all places…"

Shinji had to smile to himself at her attitude. "O-okay…anything y-you say, Asuka," he said with a nod, unbuckling his belt and pants quickly before pulling them and his underwear down just enough to free his harder-than-normal cock. He slowly positioned himself right at her opening, ever so carefully entering the redhead's all-too-ready hole.

As Shinji finally finished pushing himself into her, Asuka threw her head back again and stifled a moan as she felt awash in pleasure. Waiting around as both became used to the feeling, she could still hear the sounds of people milling about in the store just a few feet away from where she and the Third Child were _currently trying to fuck_. 'I can't believe I even _entertained_ the thought of doing this,' she mused…but couldn't deny how much better it felt than usual, knowing that they could be caught quite easily. 'Damn you baka Shinji, you went and made me a pervert, too.'

"I-I'm g-going to try m-moving, okay?" Shinji asked, snapping Asuka out of her thoughts. He slowly withdrew just a bit before ever-so-carefully thrusting forward again, both trying to hold back the moans that threatened to spill out.

After a couple of more attempts to keep their voices in check, Asuka grunted slightly in frustration. "This isn't working, _Gott verdammt_ ," she whispered, looking around for something to muffle the noises. Not spotting anything she necessarily wanted to shove in _either_ of their mouths, she looked back up at him. "I guess it's either be quiet or be caught. So you'd better keep those sounds low," she explained, lifting her right leg and wrapping it around his body. "Now… _fick mich_."

Shinji nodded and resumed his motions in and out of Asuka, both hands planted on the wall behind her for leverage. She wrapped her own arms around his neck, letting him and her left leg support her weight as they continued to move against each other, doing everything they could to keep quieter. 'Good thing it's fairly busy out there,' the Second Child managed to think, right before losing her train of thought briefly as the young man began to speed up on his own thrusting. ' _Maybe_ the crowd will drown us out.'

The two teens continued to move against one another for several minutes, pressing their mouths together frequently to use each other to muffle the uncontrollable sounds they were making. Both were glad for the fact that the walls of the cubicle were sturdier than either had expected, they weren't budging more than a few millimeters from their motions. "A-Asuka…" Shinji finally spoke up after a few more wordless minutes, their movements finally becoming more and more frantic and disjointed. "I…I-I'm…g-gonna…"

"Just… _oh Gott_ …j-just hold o-on a little… _mmm_ …more," Asuka spoke in a soft, ragged voice. She reached down to where they were connected and massaged her engorged clitoris with her right hand, slowly but surely bringing her to her inevitable conclusion.

"P-please…hurry…" Shinji grunted, trying his best to hold back his own orgasm.

It only took another fifteen seconds for Asuka to finally reach her limit, lurching her head forward as the climax ran through her body and biting down into the shoulder of Shinji's white shirt, muffling herself as much as she could. Finally seeing (and feeling) as she came, Shinji pumped in and out of her a few more times before quickly pulling himself from out of her and managing to come on her left thigh in several spurts of semen.

The couple breathed heavily against each other for several moments as they came down from their post-coital highs, both holding tightly onto one another. Finally regaining the feeling in her legs, Asuka looked down at the results of Shinji's orgasm. "Y-you remembered that much, at l-least…" she said with a laugh as he reached into his pants pocket for a tissue to wipe up the mess he had made on the redhead. Satisfied with his cleanup, he wiped the tip of his now-sensitive penis and tucked it away in his underwear before pulling up his pants and buckling his belt.

Shinji then helped Asuka move over to the bench and began to clean up the area around her pussy. She grunted at first, the entire vicinity being quite tender, but let him get rid of any excess wetness that had occurred on account of her own orgasm. Finally feeling at least somewhat cleaner, she picked up her blouse and put it back on slowly before putting her socks and shoes back on. Placing a finger over her lips, she eased over to the curtain and pulled it back just a crack, checking outside. She breathed out a sigh of relief a moment later when it seemed as though nobody had heard the sounds of their lovemaking.

"Okay, time to play it cool," Asuka told herself, breathing in and out several times. She turned to look at Shinji. "Just walk out of the store casually, baka," she explained. "I'm going to go to the register and pay. I'll meet you in a few." And with that, he slowly opened the curtain and walked out into the store, picking up their other bags near the seats outside before heading toward the door as the Second Child gathered together the outfits and lingerie she had tried on. 'Given what it made him do, there's no way I _can't_ buy it now,' she thought with a grin as she waited a few seconds before stepping out of the changing room and towards the register.

Several tense minutes later, Asuka exited the store to find Shinji waiting for her nearby. Her egress of the clothing store had gone to plan…although the twenty-something clerk at the desk that rang her up gave her a knowing look that made the redhead feel a little embarrassed. 'She probably knew,' she thought, mortified that a random stranger had heard her and Shinji have sex…in a _public_ place, no less. Shaking the thought away, she walked up to the aforementioned boy. "Alright, let's go," she said in a flat voice.

Shinji looked up at Asuka and merely nodded, the shame all too evident in his expression. He fell into step with her, both not saying a word for several minutes. As soon as they were out of sight of the store, the Second Child looked back in its direction…before turning towards him and giving him a fairly hard punch in the upper arm. "Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing the spot where she'd hit him. "What was that f-"

"You know _damn well_ why," Asuka replied, her voice more than a little agitated. "I can't…I can't believe we just did that…" Shinji just hung his head, cursing himself for giving into his bodily urges. "But…you _did_ make me feel good… _very_ good," she went on, making him lift his head to look up at her. "I like to see that kind of initiative…even if you _did_ pick the wrong time for it."

Before Shinji could offer up anything else, Asuka grabbed him by the hand not holding the remaider of their bags and began dragging him along in the direction of the apartment. "A-Asuka…" he said as she kept on walking.

"Come on, we've got to get home," Asuka told him, looking back for just a second with a _very_ sly grin. "You didn't think back there was it for the day, did you?" Ignoring his open-mouthed expression, she continued to pull him along by the arm. "I'm not even _remotely_ done, baka Shinji. So you'd _better_ be ready and willing…"

**\-----**

The elevator stopped with a harsh jolt, more than either of its occupants expected. "Didn't think it would be _that_ much," Asuka mused while moving her hand away from the emergency stop and turning back to the other person there with a gleam in her eyes and a smirk. "Shall we?"

Shinji nodded, slowly dropping the bags he'd been carrying before moving toward her, her arms circling around his neck while his arms immediately wrapped around her midsection and pressing his lips lightly but firmly to hers. The trip back to the apartment building had been a long and silent one as both teens had been contemplating what had happened in that changing room just over an hour ago.

Well…that, and trying not to continue said actions out in public. Hormones could be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

Asuka moaned lightly as Shinji moved his mouth away from hers and down the redhead's slender neck, leaving tiny kisses and suckles all the way. He stopped just before getting past her neckline, running his tongue along her collarbone. She gasped softly, moving her hands through his hair and down along his upper back. "Getting…better at this a-all the time… _ahh_ …aren't you?" she whispered heavily, watching as he moved back up to meet her eye-to-eye again. "How do you think we should do it this time?"

"N-not here," Shinji stuttered, pausing to quickly meet his tongue to Asuka's. "Much too exposed."

"Oh, like we _weren't_ earlier?" Asuka teased, quickly followed by giggling as Shinji tried (and failed) to make a verbal comeback and only managed to squirm under the question. "I was only joking, baka," she reassured him, placing her arms around his neck again and lifting her right leg to hook around his waist. "Obviously, we take this back to the apartment," she breathed sensually, about as close as they could get without becoming one. "But _how_ to go about it, hmm?"

"The shower?" Shinji offered. Both thought it over for a few seconds before shaking their heads in unison. "Right…last time was pretty…um…" Asuka nodded as he trailed off, remembering when they'd tried that previously. While there was plenty of room to work with, the tile wasn't the most sound-absorbing material…and there was that whole matter of the water (along with soap and shampoo) making everything _far_ too slippery…to the point where, mid-coitus, both teens had ended up unceremoniously splayed out on the bathroom floor. Needless to say, they had _not_ continued in that room.

"The kitchen, then? We haven't tried _that_ yet," Asuka countered. Shinji's face scrunched into an unimpressed frown. "Oh, yeah…I guess that _is_ your area and all…" the Second Child realized very quickly. 'No one wants to fuck where they work, after all. Then again, an EVA entry plug could be a lot of fun,' she thought with some amusement. 'Shame that would never happen.'

"Middle of the living room?" Asuka jokingly asked.

"…n-not _as_ exposed as right here, but still…" Shinji replied.

"The balcony?"

"Asuka…"

"Misato's room?"

" _Asuka_ …"

"Pen-Pen's fridge?"

" _ **Asu-**_ …you're joking, I hope. _Please_ tell me you're only joking."

Asuka stuck out her tongue at Shinji. "Of course I am. Just wanted to see how you reacted."

"Not funny," he said quietly before sighing. "I guess we'll just…figure it out in a while."

"So we will," Asuka replied, disentangling herself from him before letting out a heavy breath. "We should probably try and make ourselves _not_ look like were just dry-humping in an elevator. Never know who might be around, right?"

Shinji nodded, both moving back away from each other and straightening out their clothing and hair before taking a few deep breaths. He picked up their bags from where he'd dropped them just a while ago before looking up at Asuka and nodding, the redhead restarting the elevator right after. The two waited as it finally reached their floor, stepping out just as the doors opened. "Looks like we got back a little late," the Third Child noted, seeing the sun begin to set in the distance.

"Only a little," Asuka retorted. "Still early enough for Misato to not be back yet." The truth was that…well, their relationship wasn't known to anyone else. People could tell they were closer, maybe even good friends…but not beyond that. 'It's just easier that way,' she reminded herself. Things were already complicated enough in their lives, something like this being known about by their friends or NERV itself would be a little _too_ much.

As they approached the door to Misato's apartment, both teens tensed up slightly. A little bit from readying themselves in case their guardian was home already, a little from anticipation for another chance to enjoy some carnal delights. "We're home," Shinji and Asuka said together, hoping that no one would answer them. Just after closing the door behind them, both felt some relief that they had not been answered. 'Just a little bit longer now,' the girl thought, their making-out in the stopped elevator putting her well in the mood for more.

Too bad that wasn't to happen just yet. "Hi guys, welcome back," Misato Katsuragi said as she stepped into the living room from the hallway, a towel wrapped around her curvy body and another currently being used to dry her hair. "Sorry I didn't answer right away, I just got out of the bath," she explained, finishing with a wink. "Man, that always feels _sooo_ good. Especially after another long day of work."

" _Paper_ work, you mean," Asuka chimed in, trying her best to hide the annoyance in her voice. 'Verdammt Misato, you just _had_ to get back early, didn't you?'

'Hey, paperwork can be just as taxing as physical labor," Misato countered, walking into the kitchen and retrieving a can of Yebisu from the refrigerator. "Trust me, it's murder on my eyes some days." She cracked the can and drank half of it down in one long gulp, letting out a loud cheer afterwards. "Nothing like it after a good cleansing, know what I mean?"

"Uh…yeah, sure," Shinji answered, shaking his head after once more seeing her after-bath ritual. "Don't you think you should at least get dressed _first_?"

"What's the matter, _Shinji-kun_?" Misato asked in an exaggerated, teasing manner. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" She leaned in to give him just barely an eyeful of cleavage. "I thought you'd be used to it by now…"

Asuka let out a loud sigh upon watching their guardian parade around like a cheap escort. "Are you _trying_ to burn out what little brain he has?" she scolded the older woman. "Or are you just hoping he'll prove what a hentai he is?" Leaning across the table, she continued. "Or _maybe_ …maybe you're offering yourself to him, hmm?"

"Now you _know_ Shinji's not that kind of boy," Misato shot back, enjoying the light ribbing she was giving her charges. "What, are you afraid I'm going to take him from you? Show him what older women know?"

"As if," Asuka replied with a snort. "We're roommates, coworkers and friends…not anything like what _you're_ implying, Major."

"Asuka…Misato…come on," Shinji cut in, trying to get the two females to stop their disagreement-of-sort. He had mainly tuned out the preceding events, having gotten used to listening to a lot of teasing from either woman and their occasional argument.

"Hey, I'm only having a little fun," Misato told him, waving a hand dismissively. "Oh, she certainly made you work today, Shinji," she said, noticing the bags he was carrying. "Hopefully not too much that you couldn't make dinner, right?"

Shinji gave a light laugh and set the bags down, scratching at the back of his head. "Of course not," he answered. "It just took a few hours, nothing too bad. I'll have something ready in an hour or so."

Misato leaned across the table to ruffle Shinji's hair with her free hand. "Good to hear, because I'm _starving_ ," she said, turning away toward her room. "I'm going to get dressed, I'll be back in a few." And with those last words, she shut the door and left the two teens alone again.

Shinji sighed heavily after picking the bags up again. "Guess that rules out what we were planning, huh?" he whispered in disappointment. 'Should've expected it,' he mused to himself, 'but it's not like there won't be time for it again.' He turned around toward Asuka, but didn't speak when he noticed her tense expression. "Uh…right, Asuka?"

Asuka shook herself out of her thoughts upon hearing her name. "Hm? Oh. Yeah. Right," she replied, feeling more than a little irritated. "I guess it's just how it goes sometimes," she said quietly, through slightly clenched teeth while taking the bags from Shinji's grasp and heading for her room.

As the door closed behind her, Asuka had to give herself a moment to take deep breaths. In truth, she wasn't just annoyed with Misato's previous teasing: she was truly upset with the fact that she had been home early _at all_. That little returning physical urge had returned with a vengeance after their little 'elevator session' and to be robbed of the chance to see it through just…well, it certainly soured her mood, that was certain.

**\-----**

The remainder of the evening had been mostly uneventful, with Misato plopping herself in front of the television while Shinji went to work in the kitchen. Asuka had retired to the bathroom after putting away the day's purchases to take a long hot bath…which also meant having a little 'private alone time' to herself to try and let off some of her previous sexual frustration. It didn't help much, but something _was_ better than nothing. Trying to do it silently had been enough to keep it from being amazing, though…and all around, it only succeeded in making her urge for the actual thing more apparent.

Dinner had also gone by quickly, keeping the small talk of the day brisk and at a minimum. Good thing for that, as Asuka noticed that Shinji was having more than a little trouble keeping his blush from showing at certain times. Luckily, it has only taken a light kick or two to keep his mind from drifting back to…certain things…that had happened. He couldn't be really blamed, though: the redhead had given more than a little consideration to hastily clearing the table and taking him right there and then, Misato be damned.

Eventually, an hour or so after the meal, Misato's mobile rang. "Oh great, now what?" she said grumpily at seeing it was NERV. "Major Katsuragi here," she answered, then listened as the voice on the other end spoke. "Understood, I'll be right there," she replied, closing the phone in one quick motion right after. " _Ugh_ …I _hate_ this job sometimes," she thought aloud before heading into her room, Shinji watching her with a questioning look. She emerged several minutes later, dressed once more in her uniform. "Looks like it's going to be another one of _those_ nights," she explained. "Emergency meeting, more reports…you know how it goes."

"I know," Shinji said, standing from the floor and giving her a small smile. "You've told me enough times before, remember?"

Misato returned his smile and placed a hand on top of his head. "So I have," she responded. "Don't stay up too late, okay? I'll see you both in the morning."

"Alright Misato, we'll see you tomorrow," Shinji replied as she headed for the front door. "Have a good night." Misato turned back and gave him a harsh glare. "Oh, right…poor choice of words," he realized, still smiling. The major's face changed to a smile of her own as she waved goodbye before stepping out of the apartment and into the night.

Asuka, meanwhile, had heard all of this transpire and crept out of her room. She had been standing behind Shinji as Misato had stepped out. The evening after her "bath time" had been just the slow burn of her libido wanting to act on its impulses. Now, with their guardian leaving again, she saw a perfect opportunity.

Shinji let out a heavy sigh as the front door closed. Like Asuka, he had been doing his best to quell the primal urges he'd been feeling since they'd been in the elevator earlier. And, like the Second Child, he was more than ready to continue on from where they'd left off. "Well…that changes things," he thought aloud, turning around to head for his roommate's door…only to find her just a couple of feet behind him. The boy jumped with a start, a loud gasp escaping him before putting a hand over his rapidly-beating heart. "Oh… Asuka," he began, "you almost gave me a heart attack." He paused on noticing her downcast gaze. "So I…uh…guess you heard, huh?" The redhead nodded, raising her head to meet his gaze. "Um…are you still in t-the mood to, uh…" he mumbled, feeling uneasy under her stare. Finally realizing just how hungrily she was looking at him, the Third Child sighed again. "…c-can you at least be gentle about this?"

"No," Asuka said softly before quickly closing the gap between them and all but shoving her tongue into the startled boy's mouth. Shinji quickly recovered and introduced his own tongue to hers. The two swiftly moved from the entryway into the kitchen and against the far wall, pawing and groping at one another. The sound of moans and gasps filled the apartment, both teens roughly making out all the way down the wall and onto the floor.

Shinji hastily pulled up the girl's shirt, finding that she had neglected to put on a bra after her bath. Asuka's small-but-decent-for-her-age breasts were presented to him, the nipples poking straight up towards the ceiling. Taking hold of the left breast, his mouth quickly clasped around the right areola and lightly bit down on the hard nub while pinching the left one. The redhead groaned at the sensations, reaching down and pulling the t-shirt off of the Third Child.

As good as his work on her nipples felt, Asuka pushed Shinji off only a few seconds later so that the two of them could pull themselves up to a sitting position. As their mouths met again, they slowly worked their way over to the living room in a frenzied crawl. "Wh-whose room?" the boy managed to say in-between long languid kisses.

"Don't care," Asuka replied hurriedly, feeling as Shinji kissed at the sides of her neck. "Yours…is c-closer." He nodded against her skin, grabbing up his discarded t-shirt with a free hand. The two teens rose to their feet but never disengaged from their frantic making out, slowly heading over towards the boy's room. As the redhead continued groping at his bare stomach, he reached behind him and opened the door before tumbling inside with the girl in tow.

While all of this had been going on, Pen-Pen had stepped out of his fridge to see what the commotion was. Spotting the two youngest inhabitants of Misato's apartment furiously going at it had been enough to let him know to stay out of sight and keep quiet. Watching them as they made their way into Shinji's room, he let out a shrug (or the penguin equivalent thereof) and was just turning around when he heard a voice call out. "Hey bird!" The avian pet slowly turned back to see Asuka staring at him with a hard glare. "You didn't see anything, got that?" The bird nodded hesitantly, always wary of the redhead's temper. "Good," she replied. "Now…if you see your owner come back, you squawk _good and loud_. And if you don't…" She narrowed her eyes very menacingly. "…you get stuffed and roasted. Understand?" He hastily nodded before waddling fast back to the safety of his own room.

Asuka closed the door back behind herself, finding Shinji giving her a disapproving look while seated shirtless on his bed. "You didn't have to tell him _that_ ," he chastised her.

"Hey, whatever gets the point across," Asuka answered with a shrug. "Now… _where were we_?" she breathed out, quickly pulling her own shirt off and moving toward Shinji, leaping onto his lap and resuming their previous oral actions. They broke away after just a few moments, both panting heavily. "Mmm…I think _someone's_ ready to play," she spoke amusedly upon feeling the tenting in his shorts.

Shinji smirked back at her, wiping away a few sweaty strands of hair from her face. "Well, what do you think we should do about that?" he teased back.

"Release," Asuka stated in a sexy voice. She took her time in lacing her fingers into her panties' waistband and pulling them down, all the while staring Shinji in the eyes. 'No matter how many times, he's always so enthralled to see my little _kätzchen_ ,' she thought humorously. Stepping out of the undergarment and sliding it across the floor with one swift motion, she crept over to the boy's anxious body and leaned over him, propping herself up on her arms. "But one thing first…"

"W-what?" Shinji voice quivered just a bit at her tone. As much as they had been intimate, he could never quite get used to moments like this.

"You have to finish what you started earlier in the dressing room," Asuka finally said after a long pause. She put a hand on Shinji's chest and slowly made him lie back, climbing over him as he went. She stopped just as her crotch met his chin. "Now… _please_ …" she said with a heavy breath, using her arms to hold herself up.

Shinji took the hint and started lapping at her vagina, careful to avoid the sensitive little knob that would end things just a might _too_ early. He took hold of her thighs and worked his tongue in and out of Asuka, already knowing just how she liked it. The Third Child ran his lips along her own before resuming his tongue's motions up and down the length of her slit.

Asuka, meanwhile, moaned and jerked and bucked her hips repeatedly, feeling and enjoying every last movement of her lover's appendage. Many half-formed words died on her lips, mixing the three different languages she knew. She threw her body forward, moving her arms from behind her to above Shinji's head. In doing so, she brushed the tip of her clitoris against his nose and sent a cascade of pleasure down her spine. The redhead jolted with a start and a loud moan, her arms losing some of their strength and causing her to wobble on them.

And that was the same moment that Shinji had decided to work on _that_ particular part of her. His tongue brushed over and over against her sensitive little button, sending Asuka into an overload of feelings. The next moment gave her a bit more than she was ready for, though: the Third Child buried his tongue as deeply into her as he could while moving his left\hand around and sticking its index finger into her asshole.

Before she could protest at the intrusion, Asuka felt her entire body go rigid and let out a choked raspy moan for several seconds as every muscle clenched and her sight went blurry. Shinji wasn't entirely ready for her reaction, however, as his tongue and finger were trapped inside as the girl's orgasm peaked.

Almost thirty seconds later, the strength in her arms finally gone, Asuka flopped down heavily onto Shinji's bed just slightly above him. The boy sat up, wiping his chin and mouth with his discarded shirt, and moved to her side. "Asuka?" he asked, finding the look in her eyes blank and unfocused. "A-are you alright?"

"What…what the hell was _that_?" Asuka finally said quietly after several silent seconds. " _What the fuck_ has gotten into you?" she said a little louder, sounding actually somewhat angry.

"S-sorry…" Shinji told her, nervously rubbing the back of his head. "I just…wanted to try something different, I guess?" He hung his head, a little embarrassed at her reaction.

"I just wish you'd have warned me first," Asuka replied, putting her right arm over her eyes and trying to slow her breathing. "I don't really appreciate being surprised by someone trying to turn me into their personal _finger puppet_." She paused, letting out a very deep breath. "But _that_ …that was the most powerful I've _ever_ come." She looked back at Shinji. "Very good work, baka."

"Sure thing, Asuka," Shinji answered, pulling her back into a sitting position. "I'm just…happy that I could make you feel that good."

"Then that makes me happy, too," Asuka admitted, smiling at him all the while. "So…you still ready for the real thing?"

"Are you?" Shinji countered. "You, uh…were out of it there for a bit after you came."

" _Pfft_ , don't underestimate a woman's ability to be ready for sex, dummy," Asuka said, her voice breathy and whisper-thin. "I'm only getting warmed up." She slowly worked her way to the edge of the bed before turning herself around, setting her feet back on the ground and turning around to present her rear out in the dark of the room. "Don't hesitate too long, or you might miss your opportunity."

Shinji shook his head at her attitude and stood up, moving over to his dresser to find something hidden in the top drawer. He still remembered when they had procured these, Asuka opting to sneak them out of a convenience store. Not the most legal of options, but _far_ less mortifying than either of them going in to actually _buy_ the prophylactics.

Taking one of the condoms out of its box before setting the container down on his desk, Shinji tore its packaging loose and quickly pulled down his shorts and boxers before unrolling the latex over his well-ready cock. Positioning himself behind Asuka, he was just about to enter when she spoke up. "Do go a little slowly. I'm still a bit tender, you know?"

"Okay…" Shinji reassured her before ever-so-gently pushing his penis into her pussy. As soon as he was fully inside, Asuka trembled under him with a soft moan. Giving her a few moments before moving, he leaned forward and laid soft kisses on her shoulder and upper back while wrapping his arms around her midsection. "Ready now?" he asked after just over a minute.

Asuka nodded, raising herself onto her hands and elbows. "Yeah, as much as I will be," she replied, turning her head slightly. "Just don't go putting anything else in my ass." She turned back and finished quietly. "Not _this_ time, at least."

Shinji unwrapped his arms from around Asuka, placing his hands back on her hips and began to slowly exit and reenter her. His grunts and her moans soon filled the bedroom, the two of them grinding against one another with slowly-increasing speed. The redhead's breasts bounced in time with their motions, the Third Child taking hold of them and kneading the soft flesh tenderly as she groaned appreciatively. The two continued on like this for several sweaty minutes before both teens' legs felt weak and they ended up moving down to their knees, still humping and moaning frantically.

Only a few more moments passed before Shinji could feel that familiar sensation as he knew his orgasm was close. "A-Asuka…" he managed to say, "I…I'm gonna c-come…"

"Just a… _ahh_ … _mmm_ …little bit l-longer," Asuka replied in between moans, her top half still laying on Shinji's bed. She mover her hips faster against his, hoping to hurry along her own second release of the night. Less than twenty seconds later, she gasped heavily and spoke up again. " _Ooh_ …n-now! _Now_!" she pleaded. The boy wasted no time, tightening his grip on the Second Child and speeding up his own actions before the inevitable happened. The redhead finally came again, her vagina tightening down on his cock, which in turn caused his own orgasm. As both teens grunted and groaned while finishing, they slid off the bed and down onto the floor, lying against each other and breathing hard.

Asuka was the first to catch her breath and find her voice. "Gott…" she said in a shaky voice, wiping away a few strands of sweaty hair from her forehead. "Even better than earlier today…" Shinji raised his head to meet her eyes, still trying to catch his breath. "Getting better all the time, Shinji."

"Y-yeah…" Shinji thought aloud, his mind in its post-orgasm high. "Still feels…amazing…" Shaking his head, he looked over at Asuka. "You were incredible, too."

"Of course I was," Asuka beamed, smirking all the while, "it's _me_ we're talking about. I never do anything half-assed." She laid her head back on the floor once again and sighed, still tired from just moments ago. "No wonder they invented they invented the phrase, ' _better than sex_ '," she thought aloud, reaching her right hand to take hold of Shinji's left.

**\-----**

"Hey Asuka?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember how this began?"

Asuka looked up at Shinji. It had been nearly an hour since their lovemaking had ended, both of them now lying nude on his bed with her head resting against his abdomen. "Of course I do, baka," she said softly, propping her chin on his side. "Why are you asking?"

Shinji shrugged, giving a slight smile. "I was just thinking about how unreal this would have been just a few months ago…"

"You mean when we first met, _ja_?" Asuka questioned, to which he nodded in reply. "Yeah, I know." She laid her head back down on him. "First impressions aren't everything, I suppose."

"But mainly I was thinking about that night," Shinji continued, pausing to cast his eyes to Asuka. "You know which one, right? The last day of synch training?"

Asuka smiled as she recalled those memories. "I'm amazed you knew what the Wall of Jericho was."

"Or, more appropriately, what you _meant_ by it," Shinji subtly corrected her.

"Yeah, that too," Asuka replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "I was wrong about you then. You weren't as dumb as I first thought."

"The quieter you are, the more you learn," Shinji told her. "And when I went in there and laid down just a few feet from you-"

"I was so surprised that I couldn't even protest you coming into the room," Asuka cut him off, easily remembering how events unfolded. "I thought you were just going to lie down right there silently and not bring it up…"

Shinji spoke up as she paused. "All I did was ask ' _why?_ ' Just that one word."

"And I was still in such surprise that you'd actually picked up on what I'd hinted at," Asuka quietly admitted, "that I couldn't stop myself from just saying it outright." She looked back up, meeting Shinji's caring gaze. "I didn't want to be alone that night." She reached out for his hand and intertwined their fingers. "And you didn't let me be."

"How could I after hearing that?" Shinji asked, smiling just a little wider. "Despite how you first acted toward me, I was still… _intrigued_ …by this girl I was now living with. I told you that I wasn't going anywhere." He laughed a little at what happened after. "You gave me a real start when you gave me that hug, though."

"It was the only way I felt I could repay you right then," Asuka said. "It was just your back, though."

"It was more than I could have asked for, to be honest," Shinji replied. "That hug and those quiet words." He gave her hand a light squeeze. "' _Thank you_ '."

The pair fell silent for some time before Asuka broke the ice again. "So…what about when _this_ ," she paused to point at their bodies, "started?"

"Oh…yeah," Shinji stumbled for a moment, going slightly red in the face. "Mt. Asama…"

"More appropriately, the onsen _after_ Mt. Asama," Asuka corrected him. "I mean, how else could I properly thank you for something like _that_?"

Shinji sighed. "Really, Asuka, it was noth-"

"Shinji, you jumped into _lava_ to rescue me," Asuka stated in an serious tone.

"Okay, I guess it was _something_."

Asuka shook her head. "I thought you'd lost your mind, to be honest. And then to find out you'd done it _against orders_ …" The redhead took a moment to laugh a bit. "How else am I supposed to take that except that this person cares about me _more than they do about themselves_?" She pulled herself up to a sitting position and traced a fingernail down Shinji's side, eliciting a shiver from the boy. "That night you wouldn't let me be alone was one thing, but _that_ …that showed me just how you felt without using one single word." She looked down at the bed beneath them. "We'd already crossed from just 'friends', I'd have to say." The smile returned to her face soon, however. "I have to say, though, that your reaction was _priceless_."

Shinji blushed even further upon remembering that moment. "W-well, how _was_ I supposed to react?!" he asked, stuttering only a little. "You just came into my room in nothing but a _towel_ …"

"Correction," Asuka stopped him, putting up a hand and counting off using her fingers, "a towel, a smile and some…less than childish intentions." She flipped around to lie on her stomach parallel to Shinji. "But you were _certainly_ in the mood once I dropped the towel, weren't you?"

Shinji didn't immediately reply to her, only staring up at the ceiling and finding a particular pattern in it _very_ interesting. "What do you want me to say?" he finally stated. "I _am_ a guy, after all."

"Mm, you are," Asuka whispered breathily, her eyes glancing down to his half-hard dick. She let out a sigh. "It's just such a shame our first time had to be such a…mess."

Shinji gulped and blush once more when remembering how they'd gone about it. Like most first teenage couplings, it had been nothing but awkward and sweaty and fumbling, a lot of too-rough touches and incorrect positioning. And blood. And far more teeththan _should_ have been involved.

Even Asuka's cheeks went a slight shade of pink at reminiscing about the small details of that evening. "Yeah…y'know, now that I think about it…um, h-how about we _don't_ talk about that, okay?" She shook her head to clear out any of those embarrassing images from her mind. "I mean, we _did_ get better at this thing in time. So…I guess that _was_ good for something, after all." She looked over at Shinji. "Right?"

Shinji nodded and smiled. "Yeah, of course." He let that sentence hang for a minute before continuing. "I, uh…I did want to apologize again, though."

Asuka sighed again. "What for this time?"

"Earlier today," Shinji went on. "You know…the changing room…"

"Oh, right. _That_ ," Asuka replied, her face scrunching into a frown. "You already did earlier, why-"

"I just…" Shinji cut her off, "I didn't want to think I'd overstepped any…boundaries in our relationship."

Asuka turned to look at Shinji with the most serious face she could make. "Let me explain something to you, Shinji: if you want to fuck your girlfriend _and_ she is receptive to it, then you have by no means _overstepped any goddamn boundaries_." She paused, hanging her head. "Look, I know you still don't really understand women that well, but you didn't do anything _that_ out of line." She lifted her head back up. "Barring your choice of venue, perhaps." She let that sentence lapse for a moment while she saw him look slightly ashamed. "But _I_ was the one who instigated it first, remember? I teased and teased, taking it just a _bit_ too far this time. I should have expected you to want me wherever, appropriate or not, after that much cock-teasing."

"Still…I-"

Asuka raised a finger to his lips to quickly silence whatever he was about to say. " _No_ ," she said firmly. "Just accept that I was more at fault than you were this one time." She kept her finger in place until he finally nodded. "Good boy," she whispered, moving her hand away from his face. "I _did_ , however, admire your brazenness. I like to see that kind of initiative from you."

"R-really?" Shinji asked, somewhat surprised. Asuka nodded, after which he gave her a (what passes for what he can muster) wicked grin. "What would you say if I just decided to…"

"To…?" Asuka questioned, not knowing what he meant. "Decided to wh-… _ooh_!" she shivered upon feeling his right hand's fingertips move excruciatingly slow down her back. " _Ahh_ …oh, that feels _so_ good…" she said with a moan as Shinji rolled over and his other hand joined in on her impromptu massage. He ran his hands up her back with just the barest tips of his nails touching her, sending a wave of tingling sensations along the Second Child's body. She moaned and squirmed at his work for a couple of minutes, finally having her fill of the tickling feelings that were once more stoking her inner fire. She quickly grabbed hold of the Third Child's wrists and twisted both of their bodies over in one swift move. It ended with him on his back and her on top of him, straddling his lower stomach. " _Mmm_ …you've certainly learned what my body likes by now," she purred, rubbing herself along his body. "You can feel it, can't you?"

Shinji could indeed tell how well he'd done: her vagina had landed on him in a soft wet ' _plop_ ' and was slowly becoming more damp and warmer as she worked herself on him. " _Hngh_ …y-yeah," was all that he could say before a moan escaped his own lips.

"Well, based on what _seems_ to be poking me," Asuka began, reaching over to the desk near the bed where the box of condoms was sitting, "I'd say that makes two of us that are _very_ turned on." She pulled one out of the box and held it up next to her face. "What do you say? One more time tonight?" She titled her head slightly, a devilish gleam in her eye. "I _might_ even let you try what you attempted to do earlier…if you ask nicely this time." She felt his cock harden even more, now poking her at the base of her spine, which made her smile a toothy grin "I'd say that's a ' _yes_ ', then."

**\-----**

Asuka's eyes slowly opened just a little while after the sun came up. Groggily looking over at Shinji's alarm clock, she saw that it was still reasonably early. 'Misato's probably not even back yet,' she sleepily thought. Taking a few moments to quietly stretch and rise from the bed, she couldn't help but smile at the boy's sleeping form. "You did good, baka-Shinji," she whispered, leaning down to plant a very light kiss on his cheek. Satisfied that she had not awoken him, the redhead gathered her discarded clothing from the floor and swiftly redressed…and hid the box of condoms back into the depths of the Third Child's top dresser drawer. 'Don't need to leave any evidence lying around.'

Softly stepping over to the door, Asuka took a moment to listen through the wall. 'Completely silent,' she mused, sliding the door open ever-so-gently. Peeking out toward the living room to find nothing there, she quickly exited Shinji's room and closed the door behind her. Still looking out into the rest of the apartment, she crept over to her own door and slid it open before stepping inside, pulling it to and letting out the breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding.

Too bad she _didn't_ look behind her, though. " _Guten morgen_ , Asuka," Misato said from the edge of the Second Child's bed, sitting there still dressed for work from the night before.

Asuka made a noise somewhere between a squeak and a gasp, hurriedly turning around and falling right onto her rear…which, considering the last thing she and Shinji had done before sleep, was _definitely_ not welcome. She grunted in response to her sore bottom, then shot the older woman a harsh glare. " _Gott in Himmel_ , Misato," she tried to quietly shout, "are you _trying_ to kill me by jump-scare?!" When the major didn't respond, only giving her a serious expressing, the redhead blinked a few times. "What?"

"I've been home for almost a half-hour now, Asuka," Misato began. "Not as long a night as I had been thinking it would be. Anyway…I went to check on you and Shinji. And when I didn't find _you_ in here, I decided to wait a bit." She leaned forward, still keeping her eyes locked onto Asuka. "So…where _have_ you been, miss Sohryu?"

Asuka managed to stay completely calm on the outside, shrugging before quickly getting back to her feet and over to the closet to retrieve her clothing for the day. "I was in the bathroom, if you _must_ know."

Misato raised an eyebrow. "For over twenty minutes?"

"I was doing a little primping while I was there," Asuka stated while pulling out a faded t-shirt and jeans from her various outfits, never once looking over at her guardian. "You know how it is, the upkeep _never_ stops. Tweak this, pluck that, wash-"

" _Asuka_ ," Misato said very firmly. "Just…stop." She let out a heavy sigh. "I looked into Shinji's room, too." The younger girl froze when she heard those words. "Now…is there _something_ you'd like to tell me?"

Asuka placed the clothes down on her dressed and took a deep breath. Making eye contact with Misato, she took a moment to study the major's face. She didn't really look _mad_ , just…concerned. "What do you _want_ me to say, Misato?"

"The truth would be nice, I suppose."

For just a few fleeting seconds, Asuka contemplated coming up with an elaborate ruse. Misato _had_ seen them be more friendly toward each other than at first, maybe she would buy into the idea that they'd just fallen asleep while talking or something…but then the redhead realized that both she and Shinji had been sleeping in the nude. On _top_ of the sheets, no less. 'Fuck it, I guess I just go right for it,' she finally reasoned. 'No use at this point.' She turned back toward her closet, hastily pulling off her nightshirt to put on a bra. "Okay fine," she explained, getting her bra straps into place before clasping it behind her back, "me and Shinji have what you would call an ' _intimate relationship_ '." She put on the clean t-shirt and looked back at the other woman. "Are you happy now?"

Misato sighed and looked away for a moment. "I _am_ glad that you didn't try to lie about it," she said.

Asuka continued dressing while waiting for the dark-haired woman to press further or berate her…but no such scolding seemed to be forthcoming. "What, not going to get on my case about it?" the redhead asked while buttoning and zipping her pants, slightly surprised. "No ' _you're both too young for that kind of thing_ ', ' _you should be more careful_ ' or ' _you're taking things too fast_ '?"

Misato shook her head. "I wouldn't patronize you both like that." Upon seeing Asuka's puzzled look, she continued. "Asuka…what do we ask of you, Shinji and Rei?" She paused for a few seconds. "We ask you to fight and potentially _die_ for humanity's sake. We call you 'Children', but you've got burdens placed on you that most adults couldn't even understand." She stood up and walked over to the redhead. "I think it wouldn't be fair to ask that of you three and then try and treat you like any other kids."

Asuka looked back up at Misato, staring her in the eye. 'This really _isn't_ just a job to her, is it?' she asked herself. 'She really does care more than just if we can pilot or not.' She gave the major a nod and a slight smile.

"On the subject of ' _careful_ ', though," Misato resumed, her face breaking into a smirk, "I could tell that you both know that already. There was a whole box worth, right out on the desk." Now it was Asuka's turn to look away, her face turning slightly pink. Misato reassured the young woman by placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I _am_ , though, glad that you both had that kind of forethought about it all." She moved her left hand up to rub the top of the Second Child's head. "And I won't say anything about you two going too fast. When every Angel could mean the end…"

"You don't really have that kind of luxury," Asuka interrupted during the older woman's pause. "You _need_ to tell the other person how you really feel."

Misato pulled them both away to look directly at Asuka. "And how _do_ you feel about Shinji, hmm?"

Asuka looked down and away from her guardian, face still turning red. "I…I love him," she whispered almost inaudibly. _Almost_.

Misato beamed upon hearing that. "I guess that means you both do, then." Asuka gave her a questioning look, to which the major explained. "Think about it: who jumps into a _volcano_ , against orders, if they don't feel that strongly about someone?" She sighed, remembering the after-battle berating she'd given Shinji. "After living with him for a while, how he feels about other people is pretty easy to read." She put two fingers under the redhead's chin, raising the girl's face to look at hers. "I take it you both _know_ how the other feels, yes?"

Asuka looked down at the floor again. "He's said it a few times," she replied. "I…I-"

"Haven't yet?" Misato finished for her, which Asuka answered with a small nod. "I know, it's only three words but they're difficult to say." Her tone took on a more teasing edge to it. "Besides, I thought _Kaji_ was the only man for you."

Asuka stood silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "I thought so, too," she started. "But…you get tired waiting for the ideal when something _real_ is right there in front of you." Her frown changed into an amused grin. "And really, why bother when it's so clear that he still feels like that about _you_?" Before Misato could protest, the younger girl continued. "Oh come on, Misato. From the minute he saw you on the _Over the Rainbow_ , it was pretty obvious to me. I just…wasn't ready to accept it then."

"It's…" Misato tried to explain, "a little more… _complicated_ than that."

"I'll bet it is," Asuka replied with a laugh. "But that's between you and him, isn't it?" She walked her way around from where Misato was standing, heading for her door. " _Any_ way…as scintillating as this talk has been, I'm going to go get some breakfast. You gonna join me or what?"

Misato snapped out of her own thoughts about Kaji and moved toward Asuka. "Isn't there something _else_ you'd rather be doing?" The redhead gave her a confused look. "You shouldn't be leaving that empty space next to Shinji. No one likes to wake up without their lover, after all." She opened the door and stepped just past the threshold. "I'm going to go get a couple more hours' rest," she went on, looking back over her shoulder, "it's only just after six. "I'd advise you to do the same." She stopped just after setting foot inside her own room. "We'll talk more about this later." And with that, the major shut her door and the apartment fell into complete silence.

Asuka stood there at her door, contemplating between food and more sleep. Remembering what Misato had said just a few moments ago about her and Shinji, the redhead let out a quiet breath and nodded. She walked out of her own room, closing the door behind her, and padded over to her roommate's quarters. Quickly and silently getting inside, she saw that he was still fast asleep. Smiling a little at how at peace he looked, she gently placed herself back on the bed, careful not to disturb his rest. Nudging herself to where she was at face-level with the boy, the Second Child ran her left hand through his hair softly. She said those three little words she hadn't yet said to him at low volume, repeating it a few times as practice for when she would tell him later.

What Asuka _didn't_ see while she was doing this, however, was the small smile that formed on Shinji's half-asleep face after the first time she had said it. And she _certainly_ wasn't ready when he grabbed hold of the wrist near his head and softly replied to her. "Love you too, Asuka." Before she could even muster a gasp of surprise, the boy moved his lips to hers and all words from either party were lost to the moment.

Too bad they'd _both_ have to face Misato about this later…but, for now, this was _so_ worth it.

_**-End-** _

**Author's Note:**

>  _Where Boys Fear to Tread_ and _Tango in the Night_ were originally posted on FFN on 14 February 2017 and 11 March 2018, respectively.
> 
> Pre-read and then some was done by Ash. Thanks again, honey.
> 
> As usual: all comments will be appreciated, good or bad. But I do favor honest/helpful criticism, so send it my way! And review! Even if it’s not positive, review!
> 
> See you next time,  
> -Bardi (and Ash)-


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